Forbidden
by free-pirate
Summary: James Potter, while never one for patience, did have a bit of a habit where the forbidden was concerned. JamesxSeverus.


**A/N: Written, like, a year ago. And I'm just now getting around to putting it up. Eh heh.**

James Potter, while never one for patience, did have a bit of a habit where the forbidden was concerned.

It was something that he just couldn't resist.

Well, there was the tormenting of one Snivellus Snape, which he also couldn't resist. It wasn't that he really enjoyed making people's lives miserable, but Snivellus was a creature that he could never hope to understand.

Very introverted, and so very like a spider. To James, who was the exact opposite of almost everything that Snivellus was, he embodied the forbidden.

So it was that James tried endlessly to think up more ways in which to torment Snape. Part of this was to see how far he could be pushed, but the majority of it was just observing this mysterious creature from all of the sides he could.

Sometimes it did just that - provide a new perspective. Mostly, though, it just got him and his friends in more trouble then was really necessary.

But James wasn't ever one for giving up, so he continued to pursue the understanding of Snivellus.

All of this, of course, had to be masked in front of the general public. He couldn't just tell Sirius that he liked messing with Snape because he was interesting... he'd rather not risk the look on his friend's face. So his interest in this spidery creature was masked as loathing.

Lately, however, this had become a rather boring practice, and James was running out of ideas. There was an invisible line that wasn't meant to be crossed with these sorts of things, because the practices on the other side were... forbidden.

So, naturally, James couldn't resist them.  
_  
But where exactly is that line? What's actually on the other side, and how can I get there without it being too overtly obvious? _

By the time he had thought on this for a while, he really didn't care if it was obvious. There was something to be done, and he couldn't wait to do it. 'Patient' is, unfortunately, on the very short list of things that James Potter is not.

All he had to do, really, was find the opportune moment. What the opportune moment in this situation could be defined as, however, escaped him.

Until the chance, as things often do, spontaneously happened one evening. And James, being the observant person that he was, couldn't very well let the moment pass, could he?

It was late one Friday, a bit after curfew, when James was on his way down to the kitchens to pick up something before bed. He was, of course, using his Invisibility Cloak.

No one was with him; they all decided that they'd really rather stay in the tower. This was a rare thing in itself, so James decided, as James often did, to make the most of it.

He really wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been for the fact that Snivellus was having a rather loud argument with the guardian of the Slytherin Common Room. It was out of James' way, on the route to the kitchens, and he wouldn't have thought about going down there anyway.

He would have had some fun with Snape, seeing as how he had the Cloak, but he decided against it. It was then that the part of him that was always waiting for that moment kicked in.

Taking off the cloak, he folded it into a nice little square and stuck it in the inside pocket of his robe. He walked silently back down the corridor a little ways, just far enough a way so that he was sure his footsteps could be heard. He had to make sure that nothing would ruin this, his only visible chance of crossing that forbidden line.

It seemed that by the time he had rounded the corner, the yelling match was over, and Snape just stood glaring at the wall that was apparently the entrance to the Slytherin Common room.

"Having troubles, Snivellus?" James asked cheerfully, strolling down the corridor.

"Go away, Potter," Snape spat, transferring his glare from the stubborn bit of wall to the person that was now standing next to him.

"Ooh, touchy. Has someone had a bad day?"

"You made sure of that. Now go away."

"What if I was truly concerned and just wanted to offer my help?"

"You are neither compassionate nor helpful, Potter."

James almost winced, "Ouch."

"Leave."

"But I don't want to." This was the moment. He could have sang (but he didn't) at finally getting the chance to examine this other facet. Like a child with a new toy, James wanted to find out what else he could do.

He reached out a hand very slowly and rested it on Snape's shoulder.

This was crossing the invisible forbidden line, he knew, and he almost grinned before he caught himself.

Snape froze and twitched away, but that one moment of hesitation was all James needed to calculate how much further he wanted to breach that line.

He moved, placing himself closer to Snape then he had ever been. Snape was taken by surprise, but quickly moved away again.

James pursued his game, following up in this strangely twitching step until he had Snape pinned up against the offending wall with nowhere to go.

There was one more thing he had to do before James could completely say he had played in forbidden territory. Adrenaline and curiosity left no room for repulsion of any sort as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Snape's paper-thin ones.

Snape struggled, of course, but James had been expecting it and tightened the hold he had on Snape's wrists. There were a few moments where he just went limp, as though somehow accepting this fate, and James could taste salty tears.

Then, it was like something had exploded. Very suddenly Snape had a vice-like grip on James, and he was kissing him fiercer than could ever be considered anything but the deepest loathing.

It really made no sense, how one could kiss with such hatred. But, James thought, whatever works...

**A/N: Feedback is Canary Creams. :D**


End file.
